Council to phase out water rationing

There was long-awaited good news for Athlone’s residents in recent days, with the announcement that water rationing and overnight outages should be on the way out.

While the nightly shut-off of water supply has continued in some areas of Athlone this week, Westmeath County Council is reviewing the situation with a view to reducing the shut-off period. Standpipes are no longer available due to the improvement in the situation.

Any residents who do not have water supply are asked to contact Westmeath County Council at (044 ) 9332000 so the council can investigate whether the outage is due to a leak.

However, the council is warning that homes may fall victim to unplanned water outages in the coming weeks as leaks are repaired. Minimising water demand in the home, business and around the farm will ensure that water outages can be avoided as much as possible, while businesses which require water critical to their operation should check their systems for adequate storage.

“As the current thaw takes place we are experiencing leaks in the water networks and we would seek the co-operation of the public to notify us immediately if they notice such leaks occurring,” read a statement from the council.

“Please note that unplanned water outages could take place without notice as repair work takes place over the next few weeks.”